Krista McKeeth

Krista McKeeth is a blogger and reviewer from Utah. Visit her website.

Book #1 in The Case Files of Justis Fearsson; new contemporary fantasy series from fantasy all-star David B. Coe. A hardboiled, magic-using private detective hunts a serial killer in Phoenix, Arizona.

Justis Fearsson is a private investigator on the trail of a serial killer in Phoenix, Arizona. Justis is also a weremyste;a person with a wizard’s gifts and the ability to see into the paranormal world.

Unfortunately, weremystes also tend to go crazy on the full moon, which is why Justis is no longer a cop: hard to explain those absences as anything but mental breakdown. But now an old case from his police detective days has come back to haunt him, literally, as a serial killer known as the Blind Angel strikes again. His signature stroke: burning out the victims eyes with magic. Now the victims are piling up, including the daughter of a senator, and Justis must race to stop the Blind Angel before he, she, or it, kills again. There’s only one clue he’s got to go on: the Blind Angel is using the most powerful magic Justis has ever encountered, and if he doesn’t watch his own magical step, he may end up just as dead as the other vics.

Justis is a P.I. living from paycheck to paycheck. Then his old cop partner Kona calls and tells him that she believes that the serial killer “The Blind Angel” has returned. She asks him to come and look for magic surrounding the crime scene. Since Justis is no longer employed by the police department, he is hired as a PI separately by the senator’s family, to look into their daughter’s life.There’s a connection between the death and a new drug that is out called Spark.

Justis begins by tracing down the dealers and sellers of the drug to find out more about how the senator’s daughter was living at the time she died. He’s is aided by a shaman (Ghost) who guides him. However, the ghost cannot see a lot of things–especially with regard to Justis’ future–and becomes more of a moral support, keeping him on track with his training to perform harder and more powerful magic.

David Coe’s writing is not as procedural as a hard boiled detective novel would be; it conveys a more relaxed feel around the investigation but adds in more suspense through the magical side of the story and the world of weremyste and runemyste.

I found this story to be really interesting–the world building and details the author goes into regarding how the magic works; and the different supernatural worlds that overlap with the human world. The introduction of the drug Spark added another dimension. Though I thought that the narrative was going to be predictable, surprises popped up along the way, keeping me intrigued.

It’s a book I’d recommend to fans of James Swain and am happy to have lost myself in it for a couple of days. If you enjoy magical worlds and murder mystery with a twist, give this one a go!

Hi Everyone! I’ve had so many emails about the next Marianne Delacourt book (Tara Sharp #4) that I thought you should know where things are at. Allen and Unwin won’t be publishing it, so if I don’t have a new publisher by the end of the year (I am in talks with a great indie press – fingers crossed!), I PROMISE I will self-publish it in December in time for your Xmas stockings!! It will most likely be in e-book format only, but I will explore paperback options as well.

I’ve changed the title from Too Sharp to Sharp Edge, and you can see the mock up of the potential cover here.

The next novel is set back in Perth and your favourite bikie, Bon Ames, gets Tara into deep, dangerous trouble! Things are also hotting up between Nick Tozzi and Ed.

In other news, my original SF screenplay – STALKING DAYLIGHT – has been through nearly two drafts and I’m starting to look for opportunities to further hone it. It’s currently in an AWG competition to get further script editing. I’ve just had some very positive feedback on it, so I hope it has legs.

Book 2 of the PEACEMAKER series (SF, western, crime, urban fantasy) will be out in October 2015. The name will change (currently DEALBREAKER), and a cover will be ready shortly. I’ll share as soon as I can. Can’t wait to see what Joey HiFi does this time! In book 2 Virgin is working for GJIC – global intelligence – and the Mythos action is hotting up. She’s nursing some very hurt feelings about Heart’s betrayal, Hamish is acting weird, and Caro has some bad news. A lot is happening in the Western Quarter!! Not to mention that Sixkiller is his usual infuriating self.

The SF novella I’m writing for my MPhil is underway and is literary SF. That will be finished next year.

There are also two short stories on the horizon. One SF far future set in the Sentients of Orion universe and based on a dream I had – nearly finished. The other is a newly finished YA story that is very dark.

Krista McKeeth

Krista McKeeth is a writer, book reviewer and blogger from Utah. You can find her online at CubicleBlindness.

Mesmerizing and addictive, Wildalone is a thrilling blend of the modern and the fantastic. Krassi Zourkova creates an atmospheric world filled with rich characters as compelling as those of Diana Gabaldon, Deborah Harkness, and Stephenie Meyer.

Hardcover, 384 pages

Published January 6th 2015 by William Morrow

ISBN 0062328026 (ISBN13: 9780062328021)

Right before she decides which college to attend, Thea finds out a family secret that is connected to Princeton and becomes determined to go there for her studies. She can explore more about who she wants to become, learn new things about the world, and discover the deepest, darkest secrets of her own family. At her first piano concert, which gets immediate national attention, she sees a mysterious man who leaves a flower. Her thoughts quickly turn to meeting him again.

I went into the story thinking it would mostly focus on Thea’s search for answers like an amateur detective, but it soon turns into a complicated combination of a love triangle, mythology, and sex. There is a huge focus on the mythology surrounding Dionysus, and the sex is not graphic, but more about Thea’s continuing thought processes and the beginnings of her first intense adult relationships.

The writing has an equal mix of romance and mythological information. The mythology and lore, mostly from Bulgaria and Greece, has been well-researched and I enjoyed the way it sets the tone and pushes the story’s emotions beyond a traditional love triangle story. The narration gives a feeling of dream-like poetry and there is a mist-like feeling of not quite being able to see beyond what is happening in front of you. You can see enough to understand what direction you’re being taken in, but you are drip-fed information to build up anticipation for the next time the major characters meet.

As the story progressed, I started to find the characters very frustrating–especially Thea. I enjoyed the side characters and their impact on the story so much more. Yet when it came to the main focus of the story–Thea and Rhys–I found their encounters to be very hot and cold, indecisive, and at times infuriating.

As a reader, I felt emotionally drained after their encounters and found it hard to really come to terms with Thea’s thoughts and actions.

The book has been broken into two sections and by the end of the first I was already exhausted by the whirlwind of emotions. I was happy with the pacing and the climax of the second half of the story as it answered so many questions, but still left me a little breathless and wondering whether this story will continue on in another book.

Every once in a while I have a love/hate relationship with a book. I loved the plot, storyline, and writing style, yet I felt like I needed something more from the characters. I do hope that there is a continuation in another book that will help me understand these characters further. Overall, I enjoyed Wildalone and would recommend it; it was a rollercoaster of a read and I don’t think I will ever come across a more sensual scene of piano playing again in my lifetime. Who knew that playing the piano could be foreplay?